Apparatus for bread-making and the like.



G. LUNT. APPARATUS FOR BREAD MAKING AND THE LIKE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 12 1913.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

1271i 'ESEES G. LUNT.

APPARATUS FOR BREAD MAKING AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE12, 1913.

-SHEET 2.

Patented N0v.24, 191 i,

3 SHEETS five K?" G. LUNT.

APPARATUS FOR BREAD MAKING AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1913.

Patented Nov. 24, 191

SHEET 8.

3 SHEETS- |!!llllllfllfilllllllllllllllll Lilllllllllllllllllfii UNITEDSTATES PATENT orricn.

GEORGE pour, or manner, Enetnnn,

ArrARATUs non BREAD-MAKING A N-D ens LIKE.

Specification of Letters Ifetent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

Application filed June 12, 1913. fiertal he, 273,2.

This invention ias reference to bakery' and like plants, and has for itsObject to provide a machine for the mechanical transport and automaticdelivery of the dough I loaves from the moldin machine to the bakingoven, and of the baked loaves, from the baking oven to the bread room orother place of storage, also to arrange for the effective proving and(or) cooling of the dou h loaves and baked loaves respectively, so t amanual labor i di pensed with, as much as possible.

The invention is of the class in which the molded dough portions aredischarged from the molder, on to one of the tiers of the proverconveyer, the delivery end' of which delivers the dough portions'on tothe continuously or intermittently moving conveyer of a baking chamber,the rate of whose motion is such that the time occupie in transversingthe chamber is that required for baking; and then when the bakin iscompleted a conveyer receives the bal ed loaves from the baking chamberand passes them to the bread room where they are placed on the storageshelves. In apparatus of this class, the continuous prover and thecontinuous oven have hitherto forrned substantially one machine, and itwas impossible to separate them Without dismantling the parts, andfurthermore at the entrance end of the baking chamber the proverconveyer projected thereinto, for the purpose of enabling the doughportions after proof to be picked up by the synchronously movingconveyer of the oven which traversed the same in tiers'in a zigzagmanner, while the unloaded prover conveyor continued journey around theoutside of the oven to the opposite side Where it received the bakedloaves from the ezrit aperture of the oven and then after passingthrough the bread room for the discharge of its contents, returned tothe provera ain.

arrangement in my view was iisadvantar' g n that an o s ther thin s th9.

trance and exit apertures of the oven were so obstructed by the proverchains, that it was im ossible for anyone to obtain access to the oventhrough those apertures for the purpose of repairs, etc, and furthermoreeasy re nova of the continuouslyor'interm t ent y mo ing qh y o the evn. through the entrance or exit aperture was absolutely impossible.

Now according to the present invention the apparatus for transportingthe dough P rtion r m th molder to he ak chamber and proving t ernduring transit,

and for transporting t e baked loaves t0' the bread room, is analtogether separate apparatus from the oven, so that it can be movedclear of the oven to parmitof access ng had t the en ran e aper u her f,andlorl to give space for the continuously or intermittently movingconvey r of. the baking chamber to be drawn out. The said apparatus ischaracterised in that the guide pulleys around which the conveyor passesin a zigzag or circuitous course, are mounted 1 a framework or carriage,which rests on t e bakehouse, f s t t While for the time being it is afixture thereon, yet it can be moved if required clear of the ovenaperture to permit of access being had to the oven, or to allow spacefor the moving conveyor of the baking chamber to be drawn out, or ifdesired such carriage may be provided with Wheels so that it can be runalong the bakehouse floor but be fixed for the time being in theposition required.

The invention is further characterized in that the said carriage isprovided with a second set of guide pulleys around which a secondconveyer passes, for the automatic delivery of the baked loaves from thebaking chamber to the bread room.

The invention is also characterized by the provision of certainimprovements in the transferring mechanism for the automatic chargingand discharging of the baking chamber.

These and other improvements will be understood from the followingdescription reference being had to theaccompanying w n n vh h- Fi ure la sectional side elevation of my apparatus for mechanical transport andautomatic delivery of the dough loaves lm heisel ss maszh iie a the onea of the baked loaves from the oven to the bread room or other place ofstorage, also for the effective proving and cooling of the dough loavesand baked loaves respectively. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig.3 is,an enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the said machine.Fig. 4: is a part end view. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a fragment of oneof the conveyer chains; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of part of thedevice for transferring the receptacles from the prover to the oven; andFig. 7 a sectional face view on line A E of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the device for transporting the doughloaves from the molder to the oven, and the baked loaves from the ovento the place of storage, this device being altogether separate from theoven. It comprises endless conveyer chains 4 adapted to run around guidepulleys 5 mounted in a framework or carriage 1 which rests on thebakehouse floor, so that while for the time being it is a fixturethereon, yet it can be moved if required clear of the oven. which is ofthe type having endle'ss chains or conveyors supporting trays orreceptacles for containing the dough portions or other like articles tobe baked. If desired however suchcarriage may be provided with wheels 2so that it can be run along the bakehouse floor. The conveyer chains arespaced apart by stay rods 7, and arranged to enable the tins orreceptacles 6 to be suspended at intervals between them. The stay rodsare omitted from Fig: 2 to avoid obscuring the construction of themachine. In order to allow time for the dough portions to prove duringtransit from the molder to the oven without driving the chains 4 at aninconveniently slow rate, the conveyer chains are of the type which takea circuitous course, the guide pulleys 5 being arranged accordingly. Theframework or carriage 1 may be inclosed as completely as possible ifdesired especially if it is required to allow the dough pieces to provein a humid atmosphere. I The dough loaves as they are delivered from themolder, are passed into tins or receptacles 6 which are conveyed by acarrier 8 shown in dotted lines, or in other known manner to theconveyer chains 4 of the transporting device, the loaded receptacles 6being transferred from the carrier to the con- ,veyer chains 4. Theconveyer chains 4 being in intermittent motion, they slowly convey thedough pieces to the discharge end of the transporting device, and duringthe circuitous passage the said pieces have time to prove. The loadedreceptacles 6 as they reach the discharge end are freed in turnautomatically from the endless chains 4t, and transferred to the oven bya transferring device, the oven being of the type in which the'loavesare passed into the chamber by an endless conveyer 9, the empty portionsof the endless carrier of the oven being in turn brought into positionto receive the loaded receptacles.

If the transporting device is arranged with wheels 2 it may be run alongthe bakehouse floor either on rails or between checks or guides 23, sothat it can be guided into the exact position required to receive thedough pieces from the molder, in which case a carrier such as 8 forconveying the loaded receptacles to the conveyer chains 4, would notnecessarily be required, as the frame or carriage 1 would form a vehiclewhich would be wheeled to the molder to receive the loaded tinstherefrom. Then when the transference of the dough pieces to the. molderis completed, the transporting device is wheeled along the floor of thebakery to the oven, and the loaded receptacles 6 as they reach thedischarge end, are freed in turn automatically from the endless chainsi, and transferred to the endless carrier 9 of the oven by atransferring device, which device will be presently described. Themovements of the two conveyers 4c and 9. synchronize.

The oven carrier is formed of two or more endless conveyer chains 9spaced apart by stay rods to receive the receptacles between them. Thelower run 9 of this carrier carries the receptacles into the oven, andthe upper run 9 carries them back again, the dough pieces being baked bythe time they reach the front of the oven again. Here the receptaclesare in turn, by means of another transferring device, freed from theoven carrier, and are transferred to endless conveyer chains 10 inanother part of the transporting'device l which moves in a directionopposite to that of the conveyer 4. These also pass around guide pulleyssuch as 11 driven from one of the guide pulleys 5 by the driving chain12. Then when the transference of the receptacles containing the bakedbread from the oven is completed, the transporting device 1 if mountedon wheels is wheeled away to the bread room, and the loaded receptaclesare discharged of their contents, but before discharge, the loaves areallowed by the slowly moving conveyer 10, to cool. Or if thetransporting device is without wheels, then from the exit end of thetransporter the receptacles 6 with the baked loaves in them aretransferred to the carrier 44, which passes to the bread room where thereceptacles are taken ofi the carrier 44, the bread removed, and thereceptac'les returned to the carrier 8, so as to I complete theircircuit. In conjunction with the endless conveyer chains 10, activecooling agencies may be employed. In this way the goods can betransferred from the molder to oven, and proved during their transit,and then when baked transferred from the oven to the bread rooin, andcooled during their passage thereto. and thus great economy of handlabor is effected.

The receptacles 6 are preferably assembled together into batteries orrows of receptacles, for instance, each battery may be composed of onerow of receptacles all support-. ed in a single holder 6", eachreceptacle 1n a row beingadapted to contain a portion to be baked, andeach battery is pivotally suspended between the chains 4 by means ofsockets or cradles 13 on the holder 6 adapted to engage pins 14 on thechains 4. The molder is adapted to deliver the same num ber of doughpieces at each operation that the row of receptacles 6 is designed tohold.

The device for transferring each loaded battery from the conveyer 4 tothe conveyer 9 is as follows: On arriving at the discharge end of thetransporting device 1, each loaded battery is in turn automaticallyarrested in its travel by pins 15 on the receptacles coming into contactwith trip cradles 16 at the end of 'a link 17 hanging freely from theend of a crank arm 18', keyed on the rotary shaft 19, which is journaledin bearings 20 carried in the frame of the transporting device 1. Therotation of the shaft 19 is intermittent, and the trip cradles 16normally lie in the path of the pins 15 at the ends of the battery ofreceptacles.- On a battery of receptacles entering the cradles 16, theshaft 19 rotates, and so lifts the battery off the pins 14 of the chain4 and swings'it into such a position that its sockets 13 engagesimilarpins in the oven carrier 9, while. cradles 16 (now empty) complete theirrevolution and come to rest in position ready to receive the nextbattery from the chains 4.

The devices for effecting the transference of the receptacles from thecarrier 8 to the conveyer 4, and from the conveyer 10 to the carrier 44are similar to the above.

In the embodiment shown the means for effecting a transference of thebaked loaves from the oven carrier 9 to the chains-1O of thetransportingdevice, consists of the arms 21 keyed to the shaft 22 and adapted toswing in the segment of a circle. These arms have splayed forks 23 atthe ends, which normally lie in such a position, that the pins 15 on thebatteries when they arrive at the front of the oven again, automaticallyenter these forks, and simultaneously the arms are turned so as toelevate the batteries into the position shown by the dotted lines Fig.3, so that they take up a position between the chains 10, and areengaged by pins on the said chains coming into contact with the sockets13. The pins in the chains 10 lift the battery out of the forks 23 andcarry it forward to the other end of the carriage 1. It will be evidentthat the swing of the arm can be effected in many ways, but in theexample shown in the drawing, this swing is effected by a rotary member24 keyed to a'rotary shaft 25, driven by gearing 26, from the shaft 27,said rotary memher having a cam slot 28 in which a pin 29 on the armenters, so that the rotation of the member 24 will swing the arm 21upward into the upstanding position and then swing it back again readyto receive another receptacle or battery of receptacles.

In order that the transporting device 1 if mounted on wheels, may beheld a fixture in the exact position required for the receptacles 6, tobe transferred from the chains 4 to the oven conveyer chains 9, and fromthe oven conveyer chains to the conveyer chains 10, the saidtransporting device is looked to the oven front by means of the clawedarms 30 on the 'oven front, engaging the clawed bracket 31 on thedevice 1. The clawed arms 30 are operated by the hand lever 32 workingin a segment 33 by which the clawed arms 30 may be held in the locked orunlocked position. i

The endless chains 4 are driven intermittently from the endless conveyerchains 9 of the oven by the gear wheels 34 and 35 which latter drivesthe mutilated wheel 36 which at intervals drives the mutilated pinion37.

This at' intervals drives the shaft 27 which by means of the gear wheels39 drives one of the guide pulleys 5 on the shaft 38, this shaft givingmotion to the conveyer chains in the frame 1, while the shaft 27givesmotion to the shaft 19 by the pinions 40. Thus an in-' termittent motionis impartedto' the shaft 38 and consequently to the chains 4 and 10 withtheir suspended-receptacles, and as therefore the oven chains 9 travelmore quickly than the chains 4 and 10, the receptacles are spaced apartless closely on the oven chains than on the chains 4 and 10.

All the moving parts are properly timed and arranged to act in harmonyas theyhave one prime mover in common, as for instance the gear wheel 41driven by some suitable source of power. The gear wheel 41 drives theconveyer chains 9 of the oven through suitable gearing. I

42 is a clutch on the shaft 43 of the ovenconveyer chain wheels, tothrow the shafts 27 and 38 of the frame 1, into and out of gear with theoven conveyer chains 9 as required.

An example of a very suitable arrangement of traveling conveyer for theoven or baking chamber, is described in specificatiofg, Serial No.773,277, wherein the pulleys for the conveyer are mounted upon acarriage, such carriage being adapted to be slid or moved bodily out ofthe oven chamber when required for cleaning purposes or repairs, or runback again intoposition for out of the oven chamber, it is essentialthat the transporting device be capable of being use. To allow for saidcarriage to be run see moved clear of the oven aperture to give thenecessary free space. The transporting device 1 being an altogetherseparate apparatus from the oven, allows for this. In the arrangementhereinbcfore described and illustrated, the delivery of baked goods iseffected at the same end of the oven and at or about the same point, asthat at which charging takes place. While I consider this is undoubtedlythe best arrangement in connection with automatic charging anddischarging of the oven; yet it must be understood that I do not limitmyself to this, as if desired there may be a charging opening at one endof the oven chamber, and a discharging opening at the other end, inwhich case the oven carrier is arranged to project out at both ends ofthe oven chamber. An example of such an arrangement is described andshown in my specification aforesaid, Serial No. 773,277. An arrangementof this kind would not involve a departure from the scope of theinvention herein set forth, and it might be more convenient, in thiscase to use two transporting devices, one for transferring the unbakeddough to the entrance end of the oven, and effect the proving thereof,and the other for transferring the baked bread from the delivery end ofthe oven.

By my present invention hand manipulation is avoided, and the uniformityand certainty incident to machine work results, is insured.

I declare that what I claim is 1. In a bakery or like plant, atransporting apparatus comprising a framework or carriage, one set ofguide pulleys mounted therein for the circuitously arranged conveyerthat transports the dough charges to the continuously or intermittentlymoving conveycr of a baking chamber, and a second set of guide pulleysaround which a second conveyer passes, for the automatic delivery of thebaked loaves from the continuously or intermittently moving con'veyer ofa baking chamber to the bread room.

2. In a bakery or like plant, the combination comprising a frame orcarriage, end-- less traveling conveyer chains carried by the guidepulleys therein, receptacles supported by the said chains, said chainstraveling in opposite directions and being passed around guide pulleys,in such manner that they form two sets of carriers, one for themechanical conveyance and proving of the dough portions and theirautomatic delivery to the continuously or intermittently moving conveyerof an oven, and the other for the automatic delivery from thecontinuously or intermittently moving conveyor of an oven and mechanicalconveyance and cooling of the baked portions to the place of storage.

3. A. bakery or like plant of the class "referred to, comprising acontinuous oven, guide pulleys therein, a carriage, endless travelingconveyer chains carried by guide pulleys, receptacles for the doughcharges, supported by the said chains, and mechanism embodying crankarms and trip cradles hung therefrom arranged and adapted when thereceptacles come into proximity to the cradles to turn about their axis,so as to automatically detach such receptacles from the chains of thecarriage and deposit them on the advancing oven or baking chamberchains.

4:. A bakery or like plant of the class referrcd to, comprising acontinuous oven, a carriage, guide pulleys therein, endless travclingconveyer chains carried by the guide pulleys, receptacles for thecharges carried by the oven or baking chamber chains, and mechanismembodying arms adapted to swing in the segment of a circle, and havingforks at their ends which when the receptacles come into proximity tothe forks are arranged and adapted to turn about their axis so as toautomatically detach such receptacles from the chain of the oven, anddeposit them on the advancing chains of the carriage.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 4th day of June,1913, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE LUN T.

Witnesses l. C Druoxn, F. S. SHILLINGTON.

